Alec Baldwin ‘shamelessly lied’ after Rust shooting, prosecutors say

Alec Baldwin “shamelessly lied” and changed his story following the death of a cinematographer on the set of his film Rust, prosecutors in the US have claimed.

In a court filing ahead of the actor’s trial for involuntary manslaughter in July, they also argue that he was unable to control his emotions during filming in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Halyna Hutchins, 42, was accidentally shot on the set in 2021 with a gun that Baldwin was holding. The 66-year-old has pleaded not guilty.

New Mexico prosecutors claim that Baldwin was “inattentive” during firearms training and “frequently screaming and cursing” on the set before the firing of a live round, which injured director Joel Souza and caused the death of Ms Hutchins, the movie’s cinematographer.

“To watch Mr Baldwin’s conduct on the set of Rust is to witness a man who has absolutely no control of his own emotions and absolutely no concern for how his conduct affects those around him,” wrote prosecutors Kari Morrissey and Jason Lewis.

“Witnesses have testified that it was this exact conduct that contributed to safety compromises on set.”

Baldwin, who was also a co-producer on the western, has claimed that he did not pull the trigger of the gun.

Addressing his “version of events”, the prosecutors alleged Baldwin did not state this when he was first interviewed but had done so a month later.

“Every time Mr Baldwin spoke, a different version of events emerged from his mouth, and his later statements contradicted his previous statements,” the prosecutors said.

They also claimed to “have experienced near countless lies and manipulation from the defence”.

Baldwin’s legal representatives have yet to comment on the new court filing.

The film set weapons handler, Hannah Gutierrez, who loaded a gun for Baldwin before it fired, was convicted in March of involuntary manslaughter at a trial in New Mexico.

The 26-year-old faces up to 18 months in jail at sentencing. If found guilty, Baldwin faces a similar level of punishment.

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